Education ministry: 1.65 crore non-literates register on ULLAS portal, less than half clear literacy test

NEW DELHI: Since 2022, nearly 1.65 non-literates have registered themselves on the ULLAS portal, a platform launched by Government of India as part of the literacy programme, said the education ministry while addressing a question in parliament on Monday.

The ministry said that more than 68 lakh participants have passed the literacy and numeracy test, which assess basic reading, writing, and arithmetic skills, since the programme was launched. Of the participating states, Madhya Pradesh registered the most non-literates with 31.14 lakh and also had the most number of participants passing the literacy test with 28.75 successful candidates.

According to the ministry, Andhra Pradesh, which has registered more than 30 lakh non-literates, has yet to have a single participant apply for the test or clear it. Assam, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Telangana and West Bengal also are yet to start the literacy test through ULLAS.

Moreover, despite registering 38 lakh voluntary teachers on the portal, the states have only been able to tag them with just over 60 lakh non-literates. That means over 1 crore non-literates are yet to receive help from any voluntary teacher.

The ULLAS scheme was launched in 2022-23 to take stock of the number of non-literates in the country and connect them to registered voluntary teachers near them. The teachers will then help the non-literates by teaching them how to read, write, and solve arithmetics. The non-literates can then take a test, called the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT) to certify themselves as ‘neo-literates’.

MP has most non-literates; Mizoram, Nagaland less than 100

India has registered nearly 1.65 crore non-literates on the portal across 36 states since 2022, the education ministry said.

Madhya Pradesh has registered the most number of non-literates through the ULLAS portal with 31.14 lakh entries. It was followed by Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra as the states with the most number of non-literates registered on the portal.

Among states, only Mizoram, Nagaland, Telangana and West Bengal registered less than 100 non-literates on the portal. The rest of the states registered non-literates in the thousands.

ULLAS portal: Most certified literates

Across states, 1.11 crore non-literates had applied for the FLNAT since 2022-23 and over 68 lakh have been certified as ‘neo-literates’ for passing the test.

Madhya Pradesh is the state to have given out most ‘neo-literate’ certificates through ULLAS since the scheme launched in 2022-23. Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra were the other states with the most number of certificates distributed through ULLAS.

However, Andhra Pradesh,which registered the second-most non-literates on the portal, does not seem to have started the process for applying and clearing the literacy test through ULLAS. Seven other states, namely Assam, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Telangana and West Bengal, are also yet to start the process.

Many non-literates without help

According to the education ministry, over 1 crore non-literates across states are yet to be “tagged” with a voluntary teacher. Tagging is the process of connecting the non-literate person to a volunteer teacher nearby who will help them achieve literacy by teaching them how to read, write and calculate.

The states and union territories, in total, have registered 38 lakh voluntary teachers who have been tagged with over 60 lakh non-literates.

Rajasthan is the most successful state when it comes to connecting volunteer teachers with non-literates. Rajasthan has tagged over 21.36 lakh non-literates, out of the 24.44 lakh registered, with a voluntary teacher.

Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir were the other states who were able to tag the most number of non-literates with voluntary teachers.